Forgotten
by candle.22
Summary: At the end of episode 6, Korra slipped from Lin's cable and fell. When she wakes up, Mako is hurt when she doesn't remember him, she doesn't remember anyone. Now, Korra must continue on her quest as the Avatar with no memory of Republic City or Amon. Will she suceed? Makorra.
1. Chapter 1

_Rip_

The horrible sound of the fabric tearing was replaying over and over again in Mako's mind.

_Scream_

Her chilling scream sent shivers down his spine as he remembered it.

_Thud_

The sickening sound of her body impacting the ground reverberated through his head.

The same horrific scene had been playing out in his mind for the past few days; it was as if it was eternally etched into his brain now. He couldn't help it, that moment was the reason she lay unconscious before him at this very moment.

She had fallen from the roof…

Lin had jumped down to save her…

She had grabbed onto the metal cable Lin had projected toward her but her hand slipped…

Her eyes widened…

She let out a terrified scream….

And then she fell…

Mako screwed his eyes up tightly, as though it would prevent him from watching the scene play over again, but it didn't work. She met the same fate every time.

There had been no change in her condition since she arrived at the Air Temple, Mako was living there now too, but he had barely left her side. He wanted to be there when she woke up- he forced himself to think 'when' not 'if'.

Was there anything he could have done to prevent this?

The guilt was practically consuming him, he felt somewhat responsible.

If he had gone with her, would it have made a difference?

If he had been closer to where she fell?

Could he have caught her?

He was broken from these frequent thoughts by Korra, her breath had hitched for a moment but there was still no change.

He felt the familiar sensation of disappointment he always felt when he thought she was closer to waking up, he tried to clutch onto the hope that at least she wasn't dead but it didn't raise his spirits in the slightest.

He would not feel better until she was awake and in his arms.

He wondered what Asami would say if she heard him say that? Would she be mad? That would be crazy, she was worried for Korra too, and besides, he and Korra were just friends, there was nothing wrong with that. Bolin probably felt the same way too.

A brief image flashed into his head depicting Korra in Bolin's arms, he felt a pang of something not unfamiliar as she shoved the image away to the back of his mind.

_Knock knock_

The soft tapping made his head shoot up; he took in the sight of a heavily pregnant woman standing at the entrance to Korra's room holding a steaming cup. She made her way toward him and gave him the cup

"Here, drink this" She told him and he looked to see the cup was full of his favourite variety of tea

"Thank you" he said taking a small sip

"Any change?" She asked, looking at the young girl

"No" he said, the word felt like it inflicted physical pain upon him "How is Lin?" he asked, ignoring the sympathetic smile Pema was giving him

"She is a lot better" His hands unconsciously gripped his tea tighter

He knew it wasn't Lins fault, he knew that if she hadn't risked her life as she did Korra would probably be dead. Even though she had fallen, catching the cable had slowed her down, if only for a moment.

He knew it wasn't her fault, but until he saw those bright cerulean eyes again he would have a hard time facing her.

"That's good" He finally responded, looking up at Pema

She was fiddling with Korra's hair and blankets as she usually did, straightening her sheets even though they were only ever disrupted by the almost silent rise and fall of her chest, and fussing with her hair even though it was still impeccable from the last time she had done it

"The others are a bit worried about you Mako" she said quietly as she absentmindedly adjusted the pillow upon which Korra laid. "Bolin thinks you'll go crazy if you spend much longer in here by yourself and Asami said that she will wake up whether or not you're watching her" She stood up straight before letting out a small sigh "I'm worried about you too, spending as much time as you do here isn't healthy. I know that you're worried but we all are, and we have to believe she'll pull through" She wasn't very good at concealing her emotions and her voice gave away the tears that were threatening to fall

He tried to give a legitimate reason for him staying in here but he couldn't think of one. It was as if an invisible force was pulling him toward her. Although it was unlike Asami to say something like that he had to admit her logic was sound, it wasn't as if Korra was his girlfriend or anything, if she was then that would probably be a good enough excuse but they were just friends. Good friends. Very good friends.

He nodded to Pema as if he understood her message. He would have felt awful if he just ignored what she had been trying to get across, she had let him and his brother into her house and he had to respect her decisions. "Will you tell me right away if anything happens?" He asked and she nodded, smiling at him sadly.

He made his way outside, the island was fairly unfamiliar to him and he had no idea where anyone's rooms were. He didn't exactly ask for a tour as they rushed Korra back to the island and called for the closest healers.

He didn't feel right leaving Korra back there, vulnerable. What if the equalists came back and kidnapped her? They had grown close as teammates and friends so it was only natural for him to feel this way about her, right? It was as if he was her brother, that's why he felt so protective of her.

He was walking down a hallway when he spied Bolin come out of a room and go through another door that led outside, he peered into the room and saw two beds, his measly amount of salvageable belongings on one.

He washed up and got dressed just before Bolin re-entered the room, Pabu on his shoulders.

"How is she?" He asked but got the answer as soon as the words left his mouth. His brother's eyes lacked the flame that was usually burning fiercely behind them

"Oh" Bolin said, sitting down on a bed beside his older brother

"There isn't much use in worrying" Bolin tried to comfort Mako "The healers said that they don't know when she will wake up, but that it's heaps likely that she will!" He still got no reply from his brother "And besides, Master Katara will arrive here soon, she is the best healer in the world!" He flung his arms out as if it emphasize his point

"Thanks Bo" He finally said, appreciative of his brothers attempts to cheer him up, but until she woke he would have this heavy weight pressing down on his shoulders

"You should go find Asami" Bolin said, rubbing Pabu's chin with one of his fingers, "She's very worried"

He felt another, smaller pang of guilt. He had hardly spoken to Asami since he had arrived here. He had come to the island with Korra and Tenzin offered for him to stay here, he accepted because it would mean he could keep a better eye on her condition. Asami had later offered for him and Bo to stay at her place but he declined.

He had really been a horrible boyfriend lately, but to be fair being a good boyfriend was not at the top of his priorities list at the moment.

"Do you know where she is?" Mako asked, hoping that she was on the island. She had been coming here most days to keep Bo company, check on Korra and help Pema out in her pregnant state.

"The last time I saw her was a few minutes ago, she was outside babysitting the kids. I had to wrestle Pabu from Meelo, that kid needs to learn that you don't eat Fire Ferrets tails" He said, a faint scowl showing from his mock anger at the youngest child

"Thanks Bo" He said again, got up off the bed and proceeded to walk through the door he had seen him leave through earlier.

….

A gust of wind was the first thing to alert him to Asamis whereabouts, as he turned the corner he saw Ikki and Meelo playing chase with her, using their Airbending to try to catch her. She spun and danced out of their grasp very gracefully and for a moment all Mako saw was Korra, dancing through the gates during her Airbending training.

He shook his head slightly to clear it, Jinora was sitting under the shade of a large tree with her nose buried in a book, he decided to stay there, out of the way while Asami finished her game

"Hello" She said with a knowing tone in her voice, a tone that screamed _'I know something you don't know!' _She always acted differently around him, especially when she was with Korra. Other than that she was his favourite of the Airbending children, she was quiet and had a thirst for learning, she used proper manners and was very dedicated to her training. It probably wasn't fair to declare her his favourite when the others were so much younger but it was hard to imagine a young Jinora being as out of control as the other two were.

"Hello" He greeted and sat down beside her

"She'll be fine you know" She said, making her place in the large leather bound book she held. Mako looked at her, "Gran-Gran will be able to wake her up" she said confidently, referring to Katara. Mako smiled the slightest bit at the confidence this young year had, she wasn't the type to hold false hope. "I know, thanks" he said, she lashed him a smile and reopened her book, becoming absorbed in a matter of seconds.

They sat like that for a few minutes, in silence. Mako liked that, he didn't want to be forced to talk about his feelings. It wasn't an awkward silence, as if they couldn't think of conversation, it was an understanding silence.

"GOTCHA!" screamed Ikki, breaking Mako out of his thoughts, he looked up to see Asami lying face first in the dirt with Meelo and Ikki both sitting on her, they were all giggling. Mako got up and walked over to help her, she was surprised to him as he offered his hand to her; he hadn't really been seen apart from Korra for days

"Hey" She said smiling as he lifted her up "Good to see you" He answered with a hug that Asami quickly fell into. She had really missed him and couldn't help but feeling a little jealous at the fact he had been spending all his time waiting for another girl. She felt horrible for feeling that way, she was worried about Korra too, but it wouldn't matter what they were doing in the meantime, she would still wake up.

"Do you want to go to the city to get dinner together tonight?" She asked, giving him a swift kiss. He smiled apologetically and gave her an excuse about being really tired, but maybe another time? She nodded in agreement and noticed the sun was setting; she had spent more time playing with the kids than she thought.

"I'm going to go back home Mako" She said, searching his amber eyes for the usual spark that filled them

"Okay, goodnight" He said, bending down a little to give her a kiss

"I love you" She said as she turned to head to the edge of the island.

"I love you too" She heard him reply.

She quickly blinked back tears, not wanting him to see. She didn't quite believe him when he said that but she didn't want to point that out.

Mako turned to return to Korra's room, he would look in on her once more before he went to bed. Tonight he would actually go to bed and not sleep on the chair in her room. He entered her room and saw the same thing he saw every time, Korra lying, unmoving on her bed.

He let out a small sigh and approached her; he picked up her hand and wished to the spirits she would wake up. The temperature of her hand bothered him, it was too cold. He scanned the room for another blanket before seeing one on the back of the chair he usually occupied; he put it over her but was still not satisfied.

He eventually reached around his neck and undid his red scarf, he tenderly wrapped it around her in the hope it would comfort and warm her.

His brother wished him sweet dreams that night but Mako knew it wouldn't make a difference; his dreams were always the same.

Rip.

Scream.

Thud.

….

**Let me know what you think and please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N From this point forward, the POV of each chapter will alternate between Mako and Korra.**

...

The sun was yet to rise when Mako awoke, unable to take his horrifying dreams anymore. The scene always started the same way, Korra would scream after slipping from the cable and fall to the ground, but eventually the images became worse and worse.

He was tormented by other images, his brother falling from the ceiling alongside Korra, or his mother screaming just like Korra before she died.

Sometimes Korra died.

Sometimes she never woke up.

The images overtook everything in his mind, but as hard as he fought to forget them, he couldn't.

He had woken up in a cold sweat, he had been screaming so loudly in his dreams that he was surprised he hadn't been screaming in real-life too, but Bolin was still snoring quietly when Mako got out of his bed and this comforted him a little.

He mechanically reached for his scarf and wondered why it wasn't there for a split second, before remembering he had left it with Korra.

It didn't matter, he was going to go check on her now anyway, he wouldn't be able to shake off the images of her cold, still body until he saw the gentle rise and fall of her chest again. He quietly slid open the door and shut it gently behind him, the night air was cool and he procured a small flame in the palm of his hand to warm him as he walked.

The night was still and silent. The only sound was the faint splashing of waves and Mako's footsteps as he approached her door. He slipped inside without making a sound, closed the door and turned around to walk to her bed.

As he turned around he was suddenly faced with a large Polar bear dog. He jumped in fright and tightened his lips as not to cry out from the shock. Naga had been depressed lately, without Korra to play with she was lonely. She entertained herself by chasing lemurs, playing with the children or Pabu but always slept alongside her bed.

"Hey girl" he whispered, giving her a pet when he had recovered from the scare. Naga let out a friendly growl in response and returned to her position curled up next to Korra's bed.

He was comforted by the sight of her, the moonlight was shining through her window and casting a gentle glow on her face, she was breathing quietly but looked no different to the last time he had seen her.

Despite how cold the night was he noticed she was sweating, he felt her forehead and was alarmed at the temperature of it, he took his scarf back from around her neck and loosened the blankets a little. He waited a few minutes for her temperature to go down before sitting in his usual seat.

He had told Pema he wouldn't spend all his time here but that didn't mean he couldn't come here at all. He decided he should return to his room before everyone woke up, what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them, even though they shouldn't have anything wrong with him just checking up on her.

He tried to think how many days it had been since the accident but it was all a blur. The days and nights melded together into one and the only things he could recall from the last few days was worry, guilt and disappointment.

He hoped, not for the first time, the today would be the day Master Katara would arrive. If anyone could bring Korra back it would be her. Not only was she the best healer in the entire world but she was very close to the Avatar. Not only Avatar Korra but Avatar Aang too, the spirits seemed to have bound her and the Avatar by a string of fate and he hoped they would grant her the knowledge to wake Korra.

He bowed his head in a silent prayer to the spirits before getting up and returning to his room.

….

"Be careful!" Tenzin yelled, running after his son who had grabbed onto the tail of a sky bison and was now hovering just out of reach.

Mako inhaled sharply as he remembered the last words he had spoken to Korra: _"Be careful!" _What good did it do?

He noticed Asami looking at him, concerned as they took a walk together out on the island. She had wanted to go shopping in Republic City but had settled for this. He smoothed his facial features and resumed the façade he had been keeping up for her.

"So…" He trailed off, not knowing what to talk about. Had striking up a conversation really been this hard in the past? "How is your father's business doing?"

"Very well, he's been working so hard. I almost never get to see him but he invited you to come have dinner with us! Isn't that great?" She squealed, Mako was only half listening, giving noncommittal grunts and nods. "You and he will really get to know each other!"

She looked at him, expecting a reply, and Mako racked his brains for something to say. How would he weasel himself out of this? He noticed something moving, past her head. He shifted his focus and squinted "Is that…?"

"GRAN-GRAN!" screamed Meelo, pointing past his father's head as he attempted to get him off the bison. Tenzin grabbed his son first and then turned around, the relief was evident on his face but it was nothing compared to what Mako was feeling.

Suddenly there was a very small star of hope in the universe that would otherwise have been black.

He watched the bison become bigger and bigger until it finally landed, an Air Acolyte that had accompanied Katara helped her off and she was almost immediately assaulted by hugs from her three grandchildren.

Mako had sort of tuned out during all the greeting pleasantries. He, Bolin and Asami had introduced themselves and she had said something of the importance of the Avatar having good friends. It wasn't until Tenzin started leading her toward Korra's room did he snap out of his revere and start paying attention.

He followed them to her room, Pema left to take care of the children because she thought it best if Korra wasn't too crowded when she woke up. She had been very careful of speaking about Korra as if she was definitely going to wake up, using words like _'when' _instead of '_if'_. Soon it was just Katara, Tenzin, Bolin, Mako and Asami.

Asami had asked Katara if she wanted them to leave but Katara thought it best for her to have her friends here to comfort her, but they shouldn't bombard her with information or crowd her.

They stood to the side as Katara approached Korra, she let out a small 'oh my' as she began to examine her. She began to check the least affected body parts first, covering Korra's hands one by one in mesmerizing blue glowing water. Mako remembered when she had done this to Bolin, the irony spirits were not on her side.

The last body part to be checked was her head; the rest had been relatively fine so Mako felt sure this held the key to her recovery. Katara's expression became almost pained as she examined her head; she muttered things about all the energy that had accumulated there and certain paths being blocked.

Eventually she let out a sigh, "This isn't going to be enough to wake her" she said sadly and Mako felt his stomach drop. It wasn't until she reached around her neck and pulled out a small blue vial that his breathing began to regulate again.

"This water if from the spirit oasis in the North Pole" she explained. "It saved Avatar Aangs life once, so I collected a small amount more. If this doesn't wake her I don't think anything will"

He had heard stories of this water, it had brought the Avatar back to life, this had to work! He didn't want to think of what he would do if it didn't work, he almost dared not to hope.

The water had a very different blue sheen to the water Katara was using before, it spun quickly above her palm and she applied to the young Avatars head. The glow was almost blinding, when the glow disappeared so had the water. But nothing had changed. He felt his knees start to become weak as the disappointment started to set in

It didn't work.

The atmosphere in the room was cold. Katara was the only one who didn't seem affected by no change in Korra; she kept staring at her determinedly, almost willing her to wake up.

There was another few seconds of crushing silence, Mako felt Asami beside him wipe at her eyes, she had been hoping for Korra to wake up too.

He wondered why Katara was as composed as she was, she had spent most of her life with the Avatar, didn't she care?

His thoughts were interrupted by a small movement.

Korra's hand.

He shook his head slightly, his eyes were playing tricks on him, he wanted so desperately for her to wake up that his desperation had been personified as an illusion.

But, Katara was smiling now.

Had she seen it too?

Korra's hand twitched again and she screwed her eyes up tight. Everyone looked at her in a shocked silence, Tenzin was the first to regain his speech. "Korra…" he whispered as she slowly opened her eyes.

His heart almost melted at the sight of that cerulean blue, there was not only one star of hope anymore, there were a million stars of happiness.

She looked around confused, her eyes fell on Katara first

"M-Master Katara?" She asked, her throat dry.

"Korra" She smiled a wide smile and pushed her back onto her bed as she attempted to sit up

"You're hurt Korra, don't push yourself" Tenzin said as he walked over to her bedside

"Tenzin?" She asked, sounding confused. "Why am I here?"

"You were in an accident Korra" I said, walking toward her, my heart swelling at the fact I could talk to her again. "You should save your strength"

She stared at me for a few seconds with a look in her eyes I didn't recognise. I hadn't thought when I saw these eyes again they would be filled with such confusion, though I suppose this was to be expected, she hit her head pretty hard when she fell.

"Who are you?" She asked.

All the stars faded and suddenly the universe was agonizingly black once more.

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

She was experiencing the strangest sensations.

She felt like she was floating, like she was disconnected from her body. Memories pushed themselves to the forefront of her mind, but she forgot them as fast as they had come.

A sense of dread was looming. She didn't know where she was, but she wasn't wondering either. She wasn't aware if she was _anywhere_, she wasn't even sure if she existed. She was void of all information of this place.

She might have stayed like that for an eternity, or maybe it was only a few seconds, she couldn't be certain. Everything was hazy and dream-like and time seemed immeasurable.

Sometimes, the sense of dread would ease the smallest amount. She was vaguely aware that someone might have been talking to her. She couldn't hear the words that they were speaking but she knew that their voice reassured her a small amount.

It was the most utterly mystifying thing, she knew she should be confused but she wasn't. She couldn't explain it, that all made no sense to her but she was content.

Sometimes, it felt as though someone was trying to pull her away from all this, trying to grasp her intangible hand and take her into their world, but, she kept slipping. She wasn't strong enough. The line dividing her world and theirs became blurred when she heard them speaking but soon after the line was drawn again in sharp definition.

Hazy pictures formed in front of her but she could understand what she was seeing.

She became aware of more familiar voices, she couldn't understand what they were saying but they were there. She was sure of it.

Then, something happened.

She suddenly became aware of her own body again, the shock was like plunging into a pool of icy water. But, with this new-found awareness came the pain.

'_I don't want this anymore!'_ She thought, her voice sounding like it was screaming inside her skull, she wanted her blissful ignorance back again. _'Let me go!"_

The darkness surrounding her quite suddenly became a bright, dazzling blue. She tried to shield herself from its hard light but it was everywhere. There was nowhere without this light- everything _was _light.

Then, as fast as it had come, it faded.

Her own awareness was becoming stronger. She could feel that she was lying on a soft surface and that she had her eyes closed. She experimentally tried to move her body, she felt her hand move and she relaxed a little.

She became reassured by this small motion and she moved it again. Then, she tried to open her eyes.

She was vaguely aware of someone saying her name as her eyes fluttered open.

She was in a room, lying on a bed as she had suspected. It reminded her of one of the rooms on Air Temple Island but that didn't make any sense, why would she be there? Then again, nothing was really making any sense to her at the moment, and her head ached so bad she thought it would soon burst.

She looked around, confused. Her eyes focused on the old women standing next to her bed and then they filled with recognition

"M-Master Katara?" She asked, noting that her throat was as dry as sandpaper. As confused as she was to why her mentor was here, she hoped she could shed some light as to why she was here.

"Korra" Katara replied, smiling. She was anxious for answers, she attempted to push herself up on her bed when she came to the painful realisation that her head wasn't the only thing that ached- her whole body did.

"You're hurt Korra, don't push yourself" Said another voice, belonging to a man. He walked over to her bedside and she recognized him as well.

"Tenzin?" She asked, sinking further into her current state of confusion. Why was Tenzin here? And where in the world was she? Irritated at the lack of answers she was receiving, she decided to ask some questions.

"Why am I here?"

Her well trained eyes caught a movement from the side of the room. She turned her head slightly to see who else was here in the room with her. She took in the image of a boy who looked to be about her age, dressed mostly in green. He bore many of the traits of an Earthbender. Standing next to him was a beautiful woman, dressed in various shades of red and purple holding hands with some guy wearing a red scarf.

"You were in an accident Korra" Said the scarf clad man, walking toward her. "You should save your strength" His voice sounded strangely familiar to her, as if she had heard it in a long forgotten dream.

Judging by the tone of his voice, he was worried about her. She thought about what he had said as she stared into his amber eyes.

She was in an accident.

Well, that sure explained her waking up in this strangely furnished room, she was probably unconscious for a while. Katara was the best healer in the whole world so that's probably why she was here…but what about Tenzin? And these three people she had never met before?

Korra continued to look at the handsome man confused as she comprehended all of this. He had spoken to her as if he knew her, and this puzzled her.

"Who are you?" She finally asked.

A strange silence filled the room. The man looked slightly hurt at what she had said.

"What?" He asked, his voice giving away more of his emotions than his face. He sounded as confused as she felt right now, "I'm Mako"

She looked sideways at her master, tired of not knowing what was going on anymore. Kataras warm eyes met Korra's puzzled ones and the old woman let out the smallest sigh.

"Do you not recognize these people Korra?" She asked, speaking slowly. Korra saw that she was gesturing to the three people in the room she didn't know, so she shook her head.

"Please Master Katara, what happened? Where am I? Why is Tenzin here? Who are these people?" The questions spilled out as more bubbled to the surface, it pained her to speak but she couldn't let out the questions fast enough. Katara got the message that she wanted to know everything right now, and she looked at her student sadly.

"I was afraid of this" She muttered, looking down. "I have heard of this happening, when someone is in a great accident….sometimes when they wake up they've lost their memories…."

Five pairs of eyes were trained on Korra as she tried to understand the meaning of these words.

She hadn't lost her memories…had she?

She knew who Master Katara and Tenzin were, that should prove she retained them. But…what of the others? She voiced her concerns to her Master, no longer caring about the strong pain in her throat.

"What is the last thing you remember Korra?" She asked gently.

She tried to think but all she was met with was a pain in her head. She came up with no answers.

"I'm not sure…" She said, still trying to remember "I was in the South Pole obviously" She spoke quietly as she tried to remember more of what had happened recently "I think I passed my Firebending exam…?" She trailed off, looking at Katara curiously

"Woo hoo!" She exclaimed what she saw her Master incline her head "Three elements down, one to go!" She immediately regretted this small outburst as the pain in her head and throat increased tenfold. She tried to take a few, deep breaths to ease the pain but it didn't work.

She arrived at the logical conclusion that Tenzin was here so she could start her Airbending training as soon as she recovered, but she would ask about that later, she still had more questions.

"Do you remember anything else?" Katara pressed and I screwed up my eyes in concentration "Everything is a bit hazy actually" she admitted, opening her eyes. It was disconcerting to not be able to remember what happened

"We will explain everything to you when you have had more rest" Katara said, sounding like she was speaking to the rest of the room rather than Korra, "We don't want to bombard you with information" That part was definitely a message to the others.

Korra huffed in annoyance at this, she was never one to wait around for answers, she wanted them now! "Can you at least tell me where I am?" She asked, Korra didn't classify her location as information that would 'bombard' her

"Air Temple Island" She said, and cut Korra off with a look when she was about to ask 'why', You need some sleep now Korra, you have to recover" She huffed again due to her impatience but soon found that actually was very tired. "I promise we will tell you everything soon" She said softly

Korra was vaguely aware that Katara had started speaking to everyone else in the room but it sounded like they were behind a sheet of glass. She fell asleep almost immediately, but she was not greeted by pleasant dreams. They were filled with sounds that inexplicably scared her.

_Rip_

_Scream_

Thud

_**Please review!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_She doesn't remember me._

The same, single thought kept running through Mako's mind as he was ushered from the room by Katara, telling everyone how important it was that Korra got some rest.

_She doesn't remember me._

Korra's voice filled his head, accompanied by the confused look her eyes had held

"_Who are you?"_

These three words had to be three of the most powerful words he had ever heard. When he had heard them he felt like the world had been pulled out from under him. He felt like he was still trapped inside one of his horrendous nightmares because there was no way that this could possibly be real.

Why were the spirits so cruel?

Did they not realise the impact this would have on everyone? She was the Avatar. Korra losing her memories in the middle of an anti-bender uprising could be the thing that tipped the scale in their favour.

He wondered how much she could remember.

She had said the last thing she remembered was being at the South Pole, so did this mean she had no memories of Republic City at all?

All their memories...gone. Just like that.

Every laugh they had ever shared...gone.

Every fight they had ever fought…gone.

Would she ever be able to get her memories back? He would have prayed to the spirits, but he had lost all faith in them.

He felt Asami's weight around his neck and it took him a split second to realize she was hugging him.

"She will get her memories back Mako" She said, as if she was reading his mind. "She just woke up…we need to give her some time to recover" It was evident she was trying to console him but he had nothing to say back to her. Instead, he lifted his arms and returned the hug, looking over her shoulder at his brother.

Bolin had been silent the entire time they had been with Korra. He must have taken it pretty hard; Korra and he had been as good as best friends. The nature of their relationship caused his heart to tighten momentarily but he focused on the girl in his arms until it had lessoned a bit.

He saw Bolin start to head out the door; he was probably going to distract himself by working on some Earthbending techniques, or he might help Pema out by babysitting. Mako guessed that he would keep doing this until he had his head wrapped around this situation.

_He _still hadn't gotten this head wrapped around this situation.

Maybe Bo had the right idea…maybe he should go get some fresh air or something.

He voiced his thoughts to Asami who told him it was a good idea and that she would see him later, they shared a kiss before he followed the path his brother took.

"_I'm Mako"_

His voice echoed through his head and he mentally slapped a hand to his forehead. What kind of an explanation had that been? She obviously didn't know who he was, that's why she had asked! Saying his name wasn't going to magically bring back all her lost memories.

"_Who are these people?"_

He suddenly started feeling very sorry for Korra. She was in a very vulnerable state right now. It must have been disorientating to wake up in a strange room surrounded by people you never thought you'd seen before.

How was he even going to explain who he was?

"_Hi, I'm Mako. When you came to Republic City you joined my brothers' and my pro-bending team. We fought some bad guys together and eventually you told me that you liked me. I told you I liked you too but I was with Asami and we kissed but then we decided to just be friends. Hope that jogs your memory"_

Urgh, the words sounded stupid enough in his head, there was no way he'd ever say that out loud.

He heard shrieking and laughing and when he looked up he was quickly able to confirm his suspicion that Bolin would be trying to distract himself. Bolin was playing with Ikki and Meelo, Jinora was reading but would pause from time to time to join in the game by blasting air and someone and Pema and Katara were sitting nearby.

"I'm sorry Mako" said Pema as he walked past them, "I'm sure she will be able to remember everything soon enough" she encouraged, but it didn't remove the stony look from his face.

"Everyone keeps saying that" he said quietly, turning to face Katara "But is it possible?" he asked. She paused for a second before answering, choosing her words carefully.

"I have heard stories of people losing their memories" She repeated, "But it never says whether they gain them back again" She looked at Mako sadly. "I truly believe that given the right circumstances, Korra will be able to regain parts of her memory. It might take a while and there may be gaps between them but this is why she needs her friends more now than ever" he could see in her eyes that she was speaking the truth, and he willed himself to believe it. "She needs you to help fill the spaces left, and hopefully, like a well-made puzzle, she will come to see the full picture".

"The right circumstances..?" he asked, wanting to know what could trigger her to possibly remember.

"It could be anything" Katara said, and he felt his heart drop once again at the sheer scale. "A smell, a place, a scenario or even a voice could jog her memory"

"Thank you" He said, trying to digest what he had heard. There was a possibility she would be able to get her memory's back…but his hopes had already been shattered more times than he wished to remember

"She will need you Mako" was the last thing he heard from her as he turned to head back inside. He hardly knew where he was walking, his head was buzzing with all this new information.

Somehow, he ended up back in his room. He lay on his bed, on top of the covers and let out a frustrated sigh. All he wanted were facts. Now, it seemed like everything surrounding Korra was cloaked in a thick mist. No matter how hard he tried to think things became more muddled and complicated. He had no idea how to help her regain her memories- let alone know if her memories could be recovered. He honestly thought his head was going to explode if he took in any new information.

He was just a stranger to her now.

He wouldn't admit it, but this stung.

He had harboured strong feelings toward the Avatar, but took the advice of his brain instead of his heart. He had begun to think of Korra differently after the accident, regretting things he had said or done, wondering if he should have said more or done something differently. He would not have been able to cope with losing her.

He had been lying to himself all this time. Every time something even faintly resembling the feelings he use to have for her appeared, he would push it out of his mind or make up an excuse.

But, it didn't matter now. All he was to her was a stranger. She didn't remember their jokes, or their fights, or their confessions, or their kiss.

He felt like screaming.

It was lonely, knowing you were the only person who held some of these memories. Knowing that the person you shared them with had lost them.

He could practically hear his heart shattering in the harsh silence as he curled his body to try to protect the vital organ from harm.

But to no avail.

**Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Images flickered behind Korra's eyes. She usually wasn't able to make sense of them because they moved so quickly, but sometimes she was able to make out a hazy figure or a blurry environment.

A park.

An arena.

A man.

They stirred strange feelings of recognition deep within her which was strange, as she had never seen these things before, she was sure of it.

Sometimes she would remember sounds. She could identify each, individual sound just fine, but putting them all together, along with a sense of terror that accompanied them was unfamiliar.

_Rip_

_Scream_

_Thud_

These sounds weren't the only things that caused her to become scared, her dreams were also haunted by a man. She didn't know who he was or even what he looked like. All she knew was that she needed to get away from him or something terrifying would happen.

Once, she went after the man. She couldn't comprehend why she would such a thing but she wasn't in control of her body. She would finally reach him and turn him around, but he had no face. Then, the ground would fall from under her and she would fall whilst hearing the three sounds she had heard in her dreams.

Needless to say, she awoke quite a few times during the night. It would take her a few minutes to get over her disorientation as to where she was, but she would soon remember Kataras words and force herself to go back to sleep so morning would come faster and she could get all the answers.

She felt helpless and powerless, and these were not feelings Korra was used to. She was the Avatar, she had no reason to ever feel helpless or powerless, but her ability to control 3 elements was not doing anything to help her right now. Well…she was using Waterbending to drink water without getting up to quench her parched throat but that was about it.

When she woke up for the first time that night, she was pleasantly surprised to see Naga sleeping beside her. This comforted her a lot, knowing her friend was there with her and that she could actually remember the faithful polar bear dog.

Eventually the sun rose and Korra was able to separate herself from her nightmares. The first person she met that morning was Pema, she remembered Pema as Tenzin's wife. She was heavily pregnant when she came in carrying breakfast for Korra so she assumed she hadn't been unconscious for a copious amount of time. She spoke of how glad she was that she had woken up and she wouldn't be offended if she didn't eat anything.

She was feeling much better than yesterday but still much worse than a healthy person. It ached to move just about anything and small movements would drain her of her energy. Her sore throat had decreased immensely- something for which she was grateful for.

Finally the door opened and she saw Katara walk in. She breathed a sigh of relief because she didn't think she could last much longer running through different scenarios of what happened in her head. She came into the room accompanied by Tenzin and 3 people she didn't know. She had seen two of them before- the two boys- but the woman was a stranger to her.

"Good morning Korra" Said Katara in her usually soft voice "How are you feeling today?"

"Much better Master"

"That's good" She replied, smiling with her eyes. Korra looked pointedly at the other people in the room, waiting to be introduced

She chuckled at Korra's personality, "Why don't you three tell Korra about yourselves, it may help her to remember" She looked at the boy clad in green and he cleared his throat before stepping forward

"H-Hello Korra…uh I mean Avatar Korra….no I mean Korra…This is so confusing!" He wailed. Korra laughed slightly at his awkwardness, "It's fine really, go ahead"

"Ok, well my name is Bolin and we wer-are very good friends!" Korra smiled as she looked at him, her heart swelling at the mention that they were friends. She had never really had friends before…well none that were human anyway, to suddenly find out that she did hav this relationship with someone, ever though she couldn't remember them, made her smile

But her smile dropped as she saw him looking at her expectantly "I'm sorry Bolin, I really don't remember you" She felt terrible as she saw his smile disappear, replaced by a hurt expression. He quickly covered this up and waved his hand "I'm sure you'll remember me soon Korra!" She smiled at his enthusiasm, he had a natural innocence she had never witnessed in someone as old as him.

The man wearing the scarf stepped forward, Korra racked her brains to try to remember his name "Mako was it?" His expression warmed a little as he nodded "Yes, I'm Bolin's brother"

Korra was very surprised at this, they were so different! Bolin seemed like he had a great sense of humour and was so innocent. This man looked stoic and had a knowing look in his eye, as if he had seen horrors no one should have to face. "Umm…You, Bolin and I are teammates on a Pro-bending team"

Korra's eyes lit up as she heard this and excitement flooded her. She was part of a Pro-bending team! A brief image came back to her that she was sure she'd seen in a dream, it was a man who was Waterbending at her, he had stupid looking black hair and with the memory came a sense of dislike.

She gasped, "I remember!" She exclaimed, wincing at her sudden movement. The scarf clad mans' eyes widened in happiness "What?" "I see a guy…he's Waterbending at me and I don't like him. We're standing on some sort of a stage or something…" She trailed off, it hadn't sounded so stupid in her head.

"That's probably Tahno!" exclaimed Bolin, Kataras smile was very large

"That's very good Korra, we now know your memory loss isn't permanent" Korra's beamed at this.

The other woman in the room stepped forward when everyone had calmed down, she was wearing a strange looking outfit made entirely of metal and had a scar on her face.

"I'm glad you're awake Korra" She said, almost guiltily "My name is Lin Bei-Fong" Korra thought about her name for a second, it rang a bell. "Bei-Fong? Are you related to Toph Bei-Fong?" she asked, Lin nodded "She's my mother"

Korra relaxed slightly at this, this woman had an air of authority that she normally didn't like "So I'm sure we're great friends too, I mean, your mother and my past life were the best of friends" Tenzin burst out into a fit of laughter when he heard this, Lin narrowed her eyes dangerously at him

"Yes…well" She said through pursed lips "We…get along alright I suppose" Tenzin still hadn't recovered and this set him off even more.

"Where's the other girl?" Korra questioned when Tenzin had gotten a glimpse of Lins face and decided to calm down. The others looked confused for a second, "Oh, Do you mean Asami?" Mako questioned.

Korra cocked an eyebrow at this question "I don't know if I meant Asami now do I?" He looked close to slapping himself in the face when Bolin stepped in "Asami is Mako's girlfriend, she isn't here because she lives in Republic City and can't get here really early"

"Are we friends too?" She questioned, drawing a mental family-tree-esque image in her mind "Sure" said Mako quietly, she had the smallest suspicion that he was being sarcastic but she shook it off, why wouldn't she be friends with her? She looked perfectly kind the last time she was here and obviously cared enough to be there when she woke up.

"Can we start filling me in on what's been happening?" She asked and Katara finally nodded "I think you're up to it"

And then they began to spin a tale, a tale in which Korra travelled to Republic City to learn Airbending and befriended two brothers who were on a Pro-bending team. Various people would chip in to tell her how she helped to rescue Bolin when he got taken by the Equalists or about when she faced someone called Amon on Avatar Aang Memorial Island.

The story got longer and longer and Korra started to doubt whether she had really forgotten _that _much. But, Katara and Tenzin wouldn't lie to her about that, and some of the stuff she allegedly did sounded like her. She believed that she had ripped up the town to help catch some bad guys and that she had challenged this evil guy to a fight. She had a small suspicion that they were lying to her about some things, like when they glossed over what happened near their quarter final match or couldn't remember quite when they had first met Tahno. She wasn't worried though, she knew she would find eventually.

"And then we brought you to Air Temple island" Finished Mako after he had told her about how she had fallen from the roof of the arena

"Do you remember any of that Korra?" Asked Tenzin, she had supposedly already started her Airbending training with him but he told her that he couldn't quite assess what level of Airbending she could do yet.

"Bits and pieces" she said "I sort of remember being on Avatar Aang Memorial Island, and being really happy when I joined the Fire-ferrets but nothing specifically" Katara nodded knowingly "It's strange" Korra continued "It's sort of like I know I did these things, they seem familiar, I just don't remember them…It's so frustrating" She let out a sharp exhale

"Just give it time" said Katara kindly, getting up to leave "Please call for me if you need anything dear" Korra nodded and the other people in the room followed suit. Mako was the last to leave, he looked as though he was about to say something but then he turned and opened the door. He looked back once before leaving Korra alone with her head buzzing.


	6. Chapter 6

I_ should have told her_

_No, she would have thought I was making it up_

_Maybe she would remember it_

_Or maybe she would think I'm taking advantage of her_

The mental battle raged on in Mako's mind as he left Korra's room. He was disappointed she wasn't able to remember anything solid, just an emotion here or a setting there.

As they were telling her what had happened since she had arrived at Republic City, he and Bolin had conveniently omitted the parts where she went on a date with Bolin and the time she had kissed Mako. Partly because they didn't want to freak her out that two people she had seemingly just met had been romantically involved with her and partly because if Tenzin found out about it there was a good chance they would be looking for a new teammate and a new place to live.

Would they need a new teammate? He didn't know how long it would take to fix the arena, and maybe Korra would be somewhere else by then, tending to her Avatar duties. The thought made his heart heavy.

Bolin had been sad when Korra couldn't remember him but gradually his mood increased. He had insisted on playing out their Pro-bending matches by himself with over accentuated movements and noises, Korra found it very amusing though.

When they first told her about Amon and his plan she had said 'Did I beat him up?' Typical fearless, headstrong Korra. She had seemed scared at his ability to take peoples bending away, though she hid it well. Someone who didn't know her well would have thought they were debating favourite restaurants.

_Restaurants_

He suddenly remembered he was supposed to meet Asami for lunch today! She had told him she wanted to know everything that was happening with Korra, and he could finally get off this island for a bit. He scowled at that, she said it as if this island was a bad thing. He glanced at a clock, he had about 45 minutes until their lunch date- he'd make it.

It was a perfectly fine day so the trip to Republic City was gentle, he had specifically asked her not to choose anything fancy- he didn't want to dress up again. Sure, it was fine the first time but the novelty soon wore off. They finally agreed on a venue but now Mako was having trouble finding it.

He wove through the busy streets of Republic City, his eyes raking the buildings for the one he wanted. He knew the general area the restaurant was in but he had never been there. He remembered these streets as the ones Korra and he had searched for Bolin in. He remembered staking out the park with her and giving her his scarf as a disguise the time they acted as a couple.

"Mako!" A familiar voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see that amazingly he had wandered right next to the place he was supposed to meet Asami, maybe the spirits didn't hate him after all

He greeted her and they ordered lunch, while they were waiting she enquired about Korra. "How is she today? Did you make any progress with her?" He filled her in as to what happened and they fell into an awkward silence that Mako didn't want to fill. Luckily, they were interrupted by a waiter bringing their lunch so Mako filled his mouth with food so he wouldn't have to speak.

Asami was the first to break the silence "I was wondering if you'd want to come to my house and have dinner sometime" She looked up at him with wide eyes. "Sure I'd love to" he lied "But why are you asking all of a sudden?" He was curious, he had never been to her house before. She had always insisted on meeting him at places and he got the distinct feeling that she hadn't wanted him there. "No reason, can't a girl just want to enjoy a nice dinner with her boyfriend?" She asked slightly angry, she had been very tense lately. She either didn't want to see him or wanted to spend all her time with him, he was getting so confused. "Sure" He replied, filling his mouth once again.

After lunch he completely gave up on trying to make conversation, he just let Asami talk. He swore she could talk for hours if he let her. They eventually stopped to say goodbye to each other and Asami said "Remember, you can always spend the night at my place if you get tired of…that island" She narrowed her eyes at the last part and Mako felt offended at what she had said. But, not to set her off he agreed and returned to Air Temple Island.

Lin was teaching Bolin some new Earthbending techniques when he returned, Tenzin told her that she should be resting but she demonstrated a new move by sending him soaring way above them. He was able to land gently due to his Airbending but that didn't make him any less mad.

He passed Pema in the kitchen and he offered to help her, she told him she was fine but suffered a cramp mere seconds after. This distracted Tenzin from yelling at Lin at least.

As he was leaving the married couple he got attacked by two children, Ikki dragged him outside saying that he hadn't played with them yet and Meelo copied everything she was saying.

They took him to a spot right outside Korra's room. If she were able to she would have been able to see everything they did by looking out her window. The children chased him and sent air blasts at him, Jinora jumped down from the tree she was sitting in saying that this was good training and joined in. Mako was dodging and weaving out of the way as not to get hit and he decided it was good training too. Part of Pro-bending was being able to dodge anything your opponent throws at you.

"Do you loooooove Korra?" Asked Ikki, accentuating her 'o'. This question shocked Mako to a complete standstill.

"Oomf!" Jinora took advantage of his momentary lapse in concentration by blasting a well-aimed amount of air at him. She giggled as he warily got to his feet "I think it's so romantic!" She exclaimed. "Where did you two get that idea from?" He asked, dodging both the question and the air they were blasting at him

"You wouldn't leave her room after she got hurt" giggled Ikki, seemingly floating momentarily on a ball of air she created "She's my friend and I was worried about her" Argued Mako, before realising arguing with a 7 year old was futile

"Your words contradict your actions" Said Jinora wisely, leaving Mako dumbfounded that a girl as young as her was so mature and smart

"Roar!" interrupted Meelo as Mako was about to say something. Mako was use to these random outbursts so he brushed it aside

"Besides, I think Korra likes you too" Continued Jinora slyly. "That's because she _told _us she likes him!" yelled Ikki exasperated, not realising what Jinora was trying to do. Jinora let out a sigh

_I should have told her_

_Maybe she would remember it_

At the two girls' words these thoughts jumped to the forefront of Mako's mind again

"Listen" Said Mako quietly, suddenly conscious of how loud they were being. He crouched down to their height and they huddled around him. "Even if Korra did like me…she's lost her memory. She doesn't remember me…and I'm with Asami" He whispered, attempting to get Meelo off his head

"But you don't love Asami" Said Jinora bluntly

"O-Of course I do, don't be crazy" he defended but she had already begun walking back inside. He watched her retreating form helplessly as he vaguely became aware of Ikki saying something about love potions and eating clouds with spoons.

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	7. Chapter 7

Bored.

She was thoroughly bored.

Was there anything worse than boredom?

If it didn't feel like a thousand blades were penetrating her body every time she attempted to get up she would not be stuck here.

But it did, and she was.

She sighed; there was absolutely nothing in this room to amuse her. The only thing remotely interesting was the voices she could hear through her open window.

"Do you loooooove Korra?"

She suddenly stopped tuning out the voices at the mention of her name. She would recognize that voice anywhere, even if she hadn't seen her for a while. It was Ikki; it was no surprise that she was the one talking.

Wait…who was she talking to? The meaning of the words suddenly sunk in and she became intrigued, listening closely

She heard someone fall over and what must have been Jinora say "I think it's so romantic!" Korra froze; she didn't have a boyfriend she'd forgotten did she? She dismissed the thought; if she did the others would have mentioned it.

"Where did you two get that idea from?" That voice belonged to Mako, she began to relax, the girls were just trying to wind him up. Every-time they visited the South Pole they always found a new guy to play matchmaker with.

"You wouldn't leave her room after she got hurt" That was strange, why had he stayed? He shouldn't have felt obligated to; the accident wasn't even his fault! Maybe he was just a very loyal friend.

"She's my friend and I was worried about her" Korra's thoughts turned smug as she correctly predicted his answer

"Your words contradict your actions" Jinora had always been too smart for her own good. As a girl they had to practically shove Korra's head inside a book for her to read it. She just preferred the practical stuff better.

"Roar!" And there was Meelo, always having something random to say in the middle of a conversation

"Besides, I think Korra likes you too" Korra's cheeks flushed, she wished she had enough strength so she could Earthbend them up in the air, although she shouldn't get into the habit of doing that…other children didn't have quite as gentle landings as Jinora. Where did she even get the idea she liked Mako?

"That's because she _told _us she likes him!" If Korra's cheeks were flushed before they were positively burning now. Ikki's tone suggested she was correcting Jinora, something she very rarely got to do. So, she probably wasn't lying. Why would she have told them she liked Mako? Not to say that she did or anything, he was handsome and all but Mako just said that they were only friends. Besides, Mako was with Asami.

She could hear faint whisperings but couldn't make out the words which frustrated her.

"But you don't love Asami" Jinora was being very blunt. She only did that when someone was being very stubborn. What was she talking about? He was with Asami, of course he loved her! When she had first seen them they had been holding hands and everything.

"O-Of course I do, don't be crazy" Jinora just couldn't accept that she was wrong sometimes, she listened for more of the conversation but it ended there.

After a minute she heard Jinora walk into the building, possibly to visit her bedroom

"'Nora?" She asked, using the pet name she had for her young friend.

"Korra!" She exclaimed, detouring from her own bedroom into Korra's. "I'm so glad your awake, I got told I couldn't visit until you had your strength back" A shadow of a scared expression crossed her face "How are you feeling?"

Korra chuckled at the girls obedience "I'm fine 'Nora, you won't get in trouble for visiting me" Jinora looked relieved as she climbed onto the end of her bed

"I heard you outside" Korra admitted "Do you not remember anything?" Jinora asked her, and she shook her head.

"Well, I wasn't lying to Mako, you do like him" She explained, looking defiant "Like him? I hardly know him" she raised her eyebrows "Well, you _did_ like him…I'm sure you still do though! It's just like this romance novel I just finished reading" She looked as though she was about to tell Korra all about the plot of the book but she cut her off "Even if I use to like him, he's with Asami" She was careful to use past tense, it was if her life had been separated into two segments; pre and post-accident.

"He doesn't look at her the same way he looks at her Korra" She said, sounding as if she were quoting a book- which she probably was. "You're crazy" muttered Korra, coming up with at least ten different excuses as to why she didn't have feelings for him. "That's what he said too" she said knowingly as she skipped out of the room, leaving Korra confused.

_Even if I use to like him…things are different now….that's not to say I ever did like him…and he's in love with Asami…what would Jinora know anyway?_ Her head quickly became muddled, she wished she had her window closed so she hadn't heard that conversation in the first place. It had just made her wonder.

_I don't like him and he doesn't like me_ she finally decided on. She repeated it to herself until she was forced to believe it.

What would Mako think of her now? Would he think her to be crazy? Would he think that the girls' active imaginations were getting the better of them? She hoped it was the latter.

She wished for the millionth time that day that she was not confined to her bed. If the same thing had happened to her when she was healthy she could have just thrown herself into her training and distracted herself, but now she was forced to think about it.

She would have to remember to ask Katara about any medicine she could possibly take. Maybe she could have some healing sessions with her too.

_That's probably why she's still at the island _realised Korra, her hopes rising a little. Katara was the best healer in the world, she would be better in no time.

_How long would it take her to return to the South Pole anyway? _She wondered, her boredom consuming her. This thought bought her to the natural thought of her parents. She frowned slightly at this; she didn't even remember saying goodbye to them.

_Do they know about the accident?_ She would have to add that to the things to ask Katara

_If they do know…why aren't they here? _A lonely sensation filled her heart as she thought about this; maybe they hadn't been informed as not to worry them?

She missed them.

She wouldn't admit it to anyone but she did.

She knew she had left them, and she had been at Republic City for a while, but she couldn't even remember the last things she had said to them! She willed the tears not to come as she thought about how worried they must be about her, she had to stay strong.

_There is a perfectly logical reason as to why they aren't here_ She reasoned, _I'm getting better now anyway, there's no need to drag them all the way out here to see me_

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

But the more she thought about it, the lonelier she became.

There were things a lot worse than boredom.


	8. Chapter 8

A week had passed since Korra had woken up. The nightmares still hadn't disappeared but he took comfort in the fact that she was awake, safe and able to remember things.

Bolin had visited her quite a few times; they were slowly building their relationship back up again. He was glad to see his brother smile as he did, but he was ashamed of himself.

Not once had he been there since they had filled Korra in on what had happened. He wasn't doing it on purpose; he kept meaning to visit her. He would be standing outside her door, meaning to knock, but then his head would fill with all sorts of scenarios.

_What if she told me we couldn't be friends anymore because I'm with Asami?_

_What if she suddenly remembers the kiss and hates me?_

He would usually be calm and logical in a situation like this, but Korra had something about her that bought out his deepest emotions, no matter how crazy they were.

He knew he should just take a deep breath and knock, but what would he say? How did Bolin avoid the awkwardness? He suddenly wished he was as good with people as his brother.

Korra had been recovering well.

Katara had taken to having healing sessions with her in the morning and evenings. She was due to return to the South Pole tomorrow so today would be the last day of healing for Korra, hopefully tomorrow se would be out of her bed and walking around again.

He was sure that she was able to walk around now, but it was under the strict threat of Katara and Tenzin that she stay in bed. Tenzin tried to say the same thing to Lin but she probably Earthbended him across the island as soon as the words had left his mouth.

Lin was as stubborn as Korra, but unlike Korra she was an adult who could do whatever she wanted. He could tell that she felt guilty about what happened to her, Mako wouldn't be surprised if she had snuck Korra off the island herself.

The sun was momentarily blocked out, and he looked up to see why. His mouth dropped into what he was sure would be a perfectly comical 'O' shape.

In front of him was the Sato estate. This was Asami's house. Well, it looked like it could hold the whole population of Republic city inside of it, so maybe house wasn't the right word.

He blinked a couple of times before recovering from his initial shock and started the long journey to what he hoped would be a front door. There had to be a front door right?

The grounds were impeccably kept, the gardens that lay abundant on either side were absolutely perfect; down to the last petal on the last rose, and the grass was the greenest Mako had ever seen. He didn't want to think of how much money it would cost to keep the grounds this well maintained, and he was sure the inside of the house would be the same.

Asami had finally gotten him to agree to join her for dinner. She said her father was very busy at the moment so she wasn't sure if he would be able to dine with them, he didn't know if this was a good or bad thing.

His sigh of relief must have been very loud when he saw what must be a butler waiting for him at the very top of the stairs he had just climbed. He addressed him as "Master Mako" and led him indoors to where Asami would be.

The sheer scale of the house amazed him. He had never lived in luxury like this, he had always thought of having a roof over your head as being a luxury. He lost count of how many rooms he walked through before finally reaching a dining room- that must have been the 6th he'd passed already!

"Mako! Welcome!" exclaimed his girlfriend, embracing him. "Glad I could make it" he mumbled into her hair. "I'm sorry but my father is too busy to join us" She apologized, looking sincere. "That's no trouble, really. I hope he manages to get his work done" He replied, earning him a smile.

"Shall we?" She questioned, gesturing toward the perfectly set table. He did his part as a gentleman and pulled her chair out for her before sitting down himself.

Before him lay the most amount of forks, spoons and knifes he had ever seen. There were also many sets of chopsticks; all looking the same except for their length. He was overwhelmed and confused; he didn't understand the need for so many.

They began idle chit-chat as they waited for the food, Mako wasn't sure what food to expect but he didn't expect it to come in so many different courses! The food never seemed to stop coming from the kitchens.

They spoke about Pro-bending, the arena, the anti-benders and other things that he deemed trivial. He brought up Korra, expecting her to be glad of her recovery. Instead, she somehow redirected the conversation towards her father's business faster than he would have thought possible.

After the end of dinner- which Mako was beginning to think would never come, she took him for a small tour of her home.

The rest of the house looked much the same, and so did the grounds at the back. She had an indoor swimming pool which didn't surprise him and a track outside where she raced Sato-mobiles.

As they returned, Mako asked to be directed to the nearest bathroom. They were on the second floor and as he suspected there was not one far away. She said she would be waiting for him downstairs as he departed rather quickly.

"No, no! No, I assure you, everything is going exactly as planned."

Hiroshi's sudden voice spooked Mako, the tone he was using was strange. He sounded somehow…sinister. Mako stepped closer to the door

"Uh-um, yes…Luckily , the Cabbage Corp investigation has bought us enough time."

Mako leaned closer, unnerved by the words he was speaking

"Trust me, by the end of the week…we'll be ready to strike!"

He heard a phone slam down and he hurried away from the door before anyone could hear him.

His head was ringing with Mr. Sato's words…he had a terrible feeling about what he had said.

Was it possible that Hiroshi made the equalist gloves and framed Cabbage Corp?

The more he thought about it the more it made sense, but he didn't want it to be true. He was quite sure that Asami didn't know about this, she had always been a terrible liar to him. That, and she vehemently hated the equalists even though she was a non-bender like them.

But why would Hiroshi hate benders? After all, he followed Pro-bending…

Mako's thoughts strayed to the time Asami had told him about what happened to her mother, a Firebender had killed her. Was it possible that he still harboured hate for benders?

He rushed toward the door, giving Asami an excuse about having to babysit Tenzin's children tonight. He stumbled on his words but she got the message, she was left looking very confused as he rushed out the door but he didn't spare that a thought.

He had to tell someone about this.

**Yay for early updates! I'm really enjoying reading everyone's amazing reviews. When I feel stuck on a chapter or am uninspired I look at my reviews and it really encourages me to write more. I'd also like to thank everyone who has favorited/followed this story or me as an author. Please leave a review with any feedback or ideas for this fic or requests for a fic, you can also PM me. Thanks for everyone's continued support. **


	9. Chapter 9

The night was as still as an undisturbed pond.

The night was drawing to an end. In a few minutes it would be midnight, and almost everyone was asleep.

The silence was disturbed by light footsteps, as if someone had thrown a small pebble into the pond; Korra had slipped out of her bed and was practising some bending forms.

Katara's expertise in healing had done wonders on Korra; she was no longer confined to her bed but was still encouraged to stay there.

'_Fat chance' _thought Korra as she gracefully slipped from one form to another, relieved that she still had her muscle memory- and therefore her bending. She slipped through the forms as easily as if she were made of water; performing each one perfectly.

Tenzin wasn't starting Airbending training with her until he was one hundred percent satisfied that she was fully recovered. This didn't deter Korra though, she had persuaded Jinora to lend her one of her many thick Airbending books. It was full of moves and forms that Korra had been trying out. It was also full of great facts and interesting stories about the heritage of the airbenders that had kept Korra amused when she was still stuck in bed.

But despite this, she hadn't been able to make even one measly puff of air.

Not even the slightest breeze.

She had become slightly discouraged, silently hoping that it was simply because she didn't have a proper teacher. The book told her that she should start meditating daily but Korra decided she didn't need to do that.

Meditating was so boring. It was the same every time; her Masters would tell her to 'clear her mind' but she would just end up getting stiff from sitting in the lotus position for hours on end. It never worked on her; she just needed to get straight to the physical stuff.

She gave up trying to Airbend and sat down quietly on her bed. She invested her time into formulating a plan to make Tenzin believe she was fully recovered so she could start training with an actual teacher, but her plans were interrupted when he heard some light footsteps.

She stood up silently and force of habit caused her to take a waterbending stance. Who would be wandering around this late at night?

_Knock Knock_

The loud noise shattered the silence, akin to someone throwing the largest rock they could find into the still pond and Korra jumped slightly. She quickly came to the conclusion that it wasn't an enemy because they would have just busted her door down as she went to open it.

It slid open to reveal Mako.

This surprised her; he hadn't even bothered to visit her while she was recovering. Bolin made excuses for him when she asked but she knew he was lying…Bolin was a horrible liar.

"Mako?" She asked slowly, wondering why he was here.

"Korra, I have something I need to tell you" He said urgently, walking into her room as she stood back.

"Right now?" She was trying to think of something so urgent that couldn't wait until the morning

"Please" He said, and she closed her mouth to listen.

"I overheard Asami's dad on the phone. It sounds to me like he might have had something to do with making the Equalist gloves and I think he framed Cabbage Corp" He said quietly.

Her eyes widened, surely he wasn't lying if it was to do with Asami's father

"I think he hates benders because one killed his wife, although I could be wrong" He finished, meeting her eyes with his.

She thought this through; he definitely had a motive- and one that made sense at that. He also had the means by which to manufacture the gloves…

"There's only one way to find out" She said, his eyes widening at her words

"You believe me?" He asked, sounding surprised but thankful

"Of course I do, have you told Tenzin or Lin yet?"

"No, I thought you would want to know first" He said honestly.

This made her smile slightly, she ran through a scenario in her head in which he told Tenzin and Lin first, she would definitely have been angry about being left out

"Thanks" She said sincerely, flashing him a large smile

"So what are we going to do?"

"I guess we have to go wake Lin and Tenzin, I assume Lin can arrange for her team to check out Asami's house"

"You better hope her team is huge..." He muttered, but Korra didn't hear him. She was busy throwing on a jacket to protect her from the harsh air outside.

"Let's go!" She said as soon as it was on, grabbing his arm. She was overjoyed at the prospect of finally being able to do something, not able to see the faint crimson that was slowly staining his cheeks.

…

Korra stood outside one of Hiroshi Sato's warehouses. Their search had been an utter disaster from the beginning.

She had left her room confidently, dragging Mako along until she reluctantly let go of his arm, telling him she didn't know where neither Lin nor Tenzin's rooms were. He had chuckled once before smugly leading her to Lin's room- which actually turned out to be quite close to hers.

When everyone who needed to be involved had been woken up and informed, they left. Lin and Tenzin discussed Hiroshi's possible motives while Korra and Mako mainly stayed quiet.

Tenzin had argued with her about coming along, but she told him she was the Avatar and therefore had a right. He still didn't agree but Mako stood up for her, eventually he begrudgingly allowed it.

Korra hoped that if this all went to plan he would think she was fully recovered and _finally _start training with her.

The Avatar did not expect Asami's house to be as big as it was- it was going to take such a long time to search all of it. He also had several large warehouses; the sight of which made her heart sink.

Asami had not at all been happy that they showed up to question her father. She asked Mako why they were here and he started stammering and panicking. Korra decided she owed him a favour, she told Asami it had all been _her _idea. Asami wasn't happy with her after that, but she thanked Mako for coming along to "comfort her". Korra snorted slightly when she said that, her mental image of her was quickly changing from that of a friend to just a prissy rich girl.

Mako stayed with her as they questioned Hiroshi, he said that it was all just business but Korra didn't believe that. They began their search, eventually finishing but unfortunately not yielding anything.

The sun was slipping up over the horizon as Korra stood by the warehouse with Tenzin, Lin and Mako. They were discussing possible tactics to try to find evidence, and also wondering if they had been wrong from the beginning.

Mako had talked Asami into going back to her home when she insisted she stayed. Korra was glad she wasn't here; there was something about her that irritated the Avatar greatly.

She was so deep in thought about her frustration with the girl that she almost didn't notice that something thin and crinkly had been placed in her hand.

She whipped around, her reaction time a little bit too slow after being yanked from her thoughts. She looked around at the people nearby but none seemed suspicious.

She reasoned that she had better read the slip of paper before worrying, so she held in in front of her, trying to find the best light by which to read it.

_If you want to find the truth, meet me under the North end of the Silk Road Bridge at midnight._

She thought about the implications of this before turning to her companions

"I think you guys should hear this"

….

The night was cloudy as Korra, Mako, Tenzin and Lin made their way to the specified location. It was darker than usual; the clouds blocking out most of the moonlight. Their footsteps echoed as they strained their eyes in the darkness to see anyone who might be waiting for them – well aware it might be a trap.

"Psst" came a voice from the shadows "Over here" A heavily dressed man casting suspicious glances over his shoulder emerged from the darkness and walked toward them

"Listen, I joined the equalists because I believed in what Amon said, I thought he could make life better for us non-benders, but I didn't sign up for this…this war"

"What do you have on Hiroshi Sato?" Lin's sharp voice rang through the air, always quick to get to the point, something Korra admired about her.

"He manufactured those gloves for the Equalists" He said quietly, casting another glance over his shoulder

"I knew it" growled Mako, balling his hands into fists at his side

"And they are rumours he's working on something even bigger, some new kind of weapon"

'_New kind of weapon?' _Korra racked her brains for an idea of what a new weapon could be. She didn't really know much about the Equalist weapons except for their ability to immobilize people. Would these do that too?

"We searched all of Future Industries and found nothing" Tenzin replied, trying to debunk any rumours relating to such horrible things

"That's because he has a secret factory" Said the nameless man

"Where?" Mako demanded, obviously angry at the treachery a man he trusted had shown

"It's right underneath the Sato mansion"

Korra slumped her shoulders at this as the others gasped in surprise. It was one thing to say it was right under the mansion, but he had ever been there? How big was this factory anyway? She silently hoped it was large enough for them to find quickly, though she had no idea how they were going to find such a thing.

"Let's go" sighed Korra, sounding as if she had already searched for the factory and was completely exhausted.

She led the others away from the bridge, hoping they had formulated some sort of plan, because she sure hadn't.

**A/N**

**I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I am looking forward to reading all your amazing reviews.  
**

**Just to clear some things up; first, don't worry about me stopping this story. I adore writing it and it is definitely one of my favorite story's I've written- if not the best one. Secondly, I have gotten into the habit of uploading chapters on Sunday night Australian time, so if you are expecting a chapter you can do the time conversion. Thirdly, the Australian part is probably why it may seem as though I've spelt something wrong; I'm pretty sure my word processor is set to Australian. Lastly, please don't ask any questions or leave a review that requires a reply if you are not logged on. If your name is 'guest' I have a hard time answering.  
**

**That being said, I do read all of your reviews and I make an effort to reply to everyone who is logged in. Feel free to PM me and I'd love it if you dropped a review.**

**Until next time. **


	10. Chapter 10

Mako didn't know what to say to Korra as she sat on the wall of the air ship, breathing in and out as if meditating. Lin and Tenzin were having a serious conversation by the looks of it; they were speaking in soft, yet harsh voices.

Lin decided on a plan- they were going to burst in with their troops, search every inch of the mansion and find the factory.

Simple, really

"You ok?" He asked Korra, realizing how stupid he must sound after the words left his mouth.

She looked up at him with wide eyes, "I'm fine" she assured him "What about you?"

This question took him aback, why wouldn't he be fine? Korra must have seen the curiosity blazing behind his amber eyes before she continued

"I mean, we're pretty much raiding your girlfriend's house" She pointed out

Oh…Asami.

His main focus had been on Mr Sato, Mako had separated Hiroshi from Asami in his mind. To him it wasn't his girlfriend's house they were raiding, it was Hiroshi's.

Except, that it _was_ Asami's house.

He hadn't really been giving Asami too much thought during this.

"I guess" He mumbled, tearing his eyes from hers.

"Is something the matter?" She questioned

"No…I'm sure Asami will understand why we have to do this" He lied, in reality she would probably object loudly. Very loudly.

Korra didn't respond, she looked deep in thought. Mako turned his head to face a window; they were almost at their destination.

….

The officers burst into the room which Asami was currently occupying.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded, shooting daggers at them and looking furious that they were once again in her home

"We have reason to believe that there's a factory hidden below the mansion" Spoke Lin with shattering authority.

"I think I would have noticed if there was a factory underneath my house!" She exclaimed, standing to emphasize her point. She spotted Mako standing with Korra; she gave the young Avatar a piercing glare and rushed to Mako's side

"The lies these people come up with just to persecute my father" She said, which made Mako feel a little guilty. She still believed Korra was the one responsible for organizing all of this, he opened his mouth to say something to her but was cut off by Korra

"Where is your father?"

Asami looked affronted that she had asked her such a question, but when Mako looked down at her curiously she complied

"In his workshop behind the house"

The party quickly moved outside, many officers were sent to secure the perimeter as they walked into the workshop

Mako was surprised when all he found was an empty room; nothing looked at all out of place.

"Dad? Hello?" Asami called for her father but there was no reply. The only sounds to be heard were the clunky footsteps of metal on metal.

An officer came to tell Lin that the estate had been secured, that no-one had entered or left since they arrived.

"Perhaps we just couldn't see him leave" Said Lin, walking into the middle of the workshop. Mako stared at her, what was she trying to do?

His question was answered as a metal plate on the sole of her foot flew back, revealing her skin. She struck the ground, screwing up her eyes in concentration- or that's what it seemed like to Mako.

"There's a tunnel beneath the workshop running deep into the mountainside" She spoke, Mako felt Asami stiffen beside him

"What? There's no tunnel" persisted Asami; you had to admire her determination. Once Lin said something Mako immediately took it as a fact. No-one questioned Lin.

The Chief narrowed her eyes at the teenage girl, angry she had been challenged. In a display of sheer strength she lifted the metal floor upwards and threw it to the side, where it landed in a dented heap.

"There must be an explanation…" whispered Asami

"Maybe you don't know everything about your father, I'm sorry" Said Korra sympathetically, but Asami refused to meet her eyes.

"Officers, into the tunnel, be cautious" Commanded Lin and her obedient troops were quick to comply.

Mako and Asami started to make their way forward but were stopped by Lin, she appointed an officer to watch them.

Why couldn't he go?

It was because of him they were here anyway

Korra looked back once as she descended down the stairway, looking almost sad Mako wasn't accompanying her. Mako's eyes softened as they always did when they looked into hers, but all too quickly she was gone.

Silence.

Nothing could be heard from them now, not even their faint footsteps. This made Mako anxious, he wanted nothing more than to run down that flight of stairs and make sure everyone was alright.

He knew there was going to be fighting down there.

If Hiroshi had his new weapon down there then there couldn't _not_ be fighting!

He was alarmed as he heard a loud noise coming from the tunnel

Korra shouldn't be fighting! She was still recovering!

Worry and guilt consumed him; it was his fault she was down there now. He couldn't save her when she fell and he didn't think he'd be able to live with himself if he didn't try to save her now.

He glanced over at the officer assigned to watch over them, he was scanning the room with his eyes. Mako took this moment of distraction to warn Asami with a look of what he was going to do.

He scratched his nose and asked to be let out. After being refused fresh air he warned the officer of what would happen if he didn't get it. After several quick intakes of breath he sneezed embers at the officers' feet. He stumbled backwards and before he could regain his balance Mako pushed him over.

After tying him up and apologizing, he turned to Asami

"You should stay here"

He felt horrible for thinking it, but he didn't really want her down there.

"I have to find out the truth about my father" She said, her eyes wide

The truth? We just found a secret tunnel under his workshop, what more proof does she need?

"I understand" Mako said after taking a breath, "That's why I'm going down, to find out for you"

He already knew the truth, but he needed to make sure Korra was alright

"Please"

"Alright"

He descended down the dark staircase, hardly hearing her when she said "be careful". He cared about her, he really did. But Korra needed him more right now.

The tunnel was dimly lit and very long. He didn't know how long he had been walking but he knew his destination wasn't far away.

He could hear what sounded like a fight. Lots of banging and large vibrations ushered him forward, the flame he had lit in him palm extinguishing.

He saw a small beam of light coming from the ceiling, the commotion had stopped and this unnerved him.

He lifted himself up and almost dropped down at what he saw

"Oh no"

It looked like everyone was unconscious; officers were being loaded into cars while the Avatar, the Chief and Tenzin lay on the ground.

Why didn't they load them in first?

He ran out from his hiding spot, staying stealthy. He ran over to Korra and shook her slightly

"Korra" He whispered, he wouldn't be able to bear it if she were hurt again.

If she never woke up…

He took a deep breath, telling himself to focus. There were three people and only one of him. He didn't have much time so he would have to take them all into the hole he had come from. Once they were there they would be safe.

He hoisted Korra up onto his back, trying desperately to ignore her breath on the back of his neck. Once she was steady he grabbed the wrists of Lin and Tenzin.

This was going to be awkward.

He had just started to walk back, dragging Lin and Tenzin when a voice stopped him in his tracks

"Not so fast"

That voice evoked a sharp emotion within Mako

"Sponsoring our team, supporting the Avatar, it was all just a big cover-up"

"Yes, and the most difficult part was watching my daughter traipse around with a Firebending street rat like you!"

Such hatred was flowing through his veins.

How dare he!

How dare he look down on him like that, as if he were better than him. Working for Amon made him better than no one!

Hiroshi started walking toward him, electric gloves outstretched, about to electrocute Mako, the Lieutenant loyally at his side.

Mako wasn't moving, he was not going to back away from this fight.

He was so close now, the electricity dancing in the most mesmerizing way, reflecting off everyone's eyes like a lightning storm brewed behind them. If it wasn't for the terrifying noise they made they would look quite beautiful.

Like miniature fireworks.

Like miniature Firebending.

"Dad! Stop." Came a heartbroken voice, belonging to a girl who looked as though all the hope in the world had gone.

"Why?" That question held more emotion than Mako would have thought possible.

How dare he extinguish the hope in her heart.

"Sweetie, I wanted to keep you out of it for as long as I could"

Mako felt Korra stirring on his back, lifting her head to watch the scene unfold in front of him, but he was rooted to the spot.

"But now you know the truth…please…forgive me. These people, these _Benders_" Hiroshi pronounced the word as if it inflicted physical pain upon him "They took away your mother, the love of my life, they've ruined the world! But with Amon we can fix it and build a perfect world together, we can help people like us everywhere. Join me Asami."

He held out a glove toward his daughter, though Mako knew she wouldn't take it. She was too strong. Even after finding out about her father she would be unwilling to stoop to his level.

She started taking slow steps forward, staring at the glove. He hand reached for it, shaking.

No.

She touched it, Hiroshi's eyes lighting up in surprise. She slipped it around her wrist

"_No_"

"I love you Dad"

Mako felt utter betrayal in his heart. This girl who he had shared his secrets with, spend so much time with, hugged, kissed, laughed with, comforted, this girl was standing in front of his stabbing him in the back.

He jumped a little when he heard the noise of electricity again, it surprised him. He had only a second to register what was happening, and when he did he felt a new well of hope fill within him.

In one swift move Asami electrocuted her father and took out the Lieutenant, Mako staring at her in awe.

Korra must have slipped from his back as he jumped, for she now stood beside him, mouth wide open as he was sure his was too.

His relief of her fully regaining her senses was short-lived, because suddenly what looked to be giant mechanical people turned to face them.

"Let's get out of here" He said to Korra and Asami. He lifted up Tenzin and the girls took care of Lin as they rushed back down the hole he came from, Korra sealing it with her Earthbending.

He heard something hit the rock cover so she must have made it just in time.

Tenzin and Lin woke up a few minutes afterwards, it took a few minutes to explain everything that had happened fully, but eventually they both knew and Asami had broken down into tears on his shoulder.

After the appropriate authority's had been called they ended up back at the airship. Asami kept a tight grip on his arm as she stared wistfully back at her house whilst they flew away.

Mako turned to Korra as she let out a small sigh of relief

"I'm just glad it's all over" She said when he turned to her "I never would have guessed Asami's father would have been involved in all of this"

"I'm still having a hard time believing it" he replied

"I bet Asami feels a million times worse than us" She said, glancing over Mako's shoulder at her "She's welcome to stay at the Air Temple"

"Thank you" He said on her behalf, it really was very kind of her.

"She is going to need you Mako" she said, turning away.

He couldn't quite figure out what emotions he was feeling right now. So much had happened that they all became blurred and confusing.

But she had invoked an emotion that made his heart feel a little more hollow.

He embraced his girlfriend, she fell into his chest, sobbing. She looked so vulnerable that Mako instinctively tightened his grip, protecting her from harm. After everything she had been through she needed someone she could trust, someone she could rely on.

Someone who loved her with one hundred percent of their heart.

Someone who didn't kiss people behind her back.

Someone who didn't maybe have just the tiniest amount of feelings for someone else.

He let the pure guilt wash over him as he realised that person wasn't him.


	11. Chapter 11

Korra, Jinora, Ikki and Meelo stood by the port of Air Temple Island, awaiting a new guest. Ikki had been especially excited to hear the news that Asami would be staying at the island and couldn't keep still, although she and Meelo were like that most of the time.

They were also still excited to hear the news that Korra would no longer have to stay in bed- which to them meant more time to play. Upon returning from the Sato estate Pema insisted she stay in bed, but she assured her that she was fine. There may have been some begging involved but she was free nonetheless.

"There they are!" exclaimed Ikki shrilly, pointing to a ferry on the sea. From her position Korra could make out three figures on board; Bolin stood waving and Asami had her arm wrapped around Mako.

"What?" She asked self-consciously after tearing her eyes from the couple to see Jinora scrutinising her face.

"Nothing" Replied Jinora nonchalantly, although her expression had turned her smug.

The ferry became bigger and bigger as it became closer and closer. The cargo it had on board became larger too; now Korra understood when Asami said she would need both brothers to help carry her things.

"You're finally here!" exclaimed Ikki, bouncing up and down as the ferry came to a slow stop "Welcome to Air Temple Island. Your new home"

The young Airbender made it sound so easy, calling an unfamiliar environment your home. Korra felt a rush of sympathy toward Asami; she was in almost the same situation as Korra. Both had been suddenly ripped from their home to find themselves at the island, but Asami's ordeal must have been worse, because she also had to deal with the fact her father was working for Amon.

"Welcome to my domain" Said Meelo, causing Korra and Bolin to laugh. Korra had quickly found out her and Bolin shared a similar sense of humour in the time they had spent together. He always could find a way to make her laugh and was convinced that was the way to unlocking her memories about him.

Meelo giggled as Pabu jumped from Bolin's shoulder and ran in-between his legs. He was quite fond of the fluffy creature, although Bolin wished he would be gentler with his smallest friend.

"So do you have…uhh…everything?" Asked Korra weakly to Asami, pointing to her large pile of luggage

"It could have been worse" came Mako's voice, causing Korra to wonder how a person could need so many things

"Well we all want you to feel at home" Korra said, tearing her eyes from the pile and smiling at Asami. Although she thought her to be prissy before, this was the perfect opportunity for her to erase all past bad encounters with her and start fresh.

"You're pretty. Can I have some of your hair?" Asked Meelo with his arm outstretched when Asami had stepped from the ferry. Asami just let out a small chuckle and smiled at the young boy

Korra motioned to Ikki to lead the way to their bedrooms. She jumped at the chance to be the centre of attention and started bounding around and yelling random facts about the island and what things were.

Bolin tried to challenge her knowledge, but he was surprised when Ikki fired answers back at every single one of his questions. One could assume she had been spending too much time around Jinora.

"Oh, before I forget, I brought that earthbending book with me 'Nora" Said Bolin, looking at Tenzin's eldest child

"Really?" Her eyes lighting up. She had been asking Mako and Bolin a lot of questions about their bending, she reasoned it was best to learn about all the elements to better her airbending. Bolin eventually told her he would try to find his old Earthbending technique book.

"Come on, I'll go get it" He said, starting to walk away, Mako joined them without a word.

As the trio walked away, Meelo stayed with them, his eyes transfixed on Asami and her long hair.

"Why don't you go with them too?" Suggested Korra, eyeing him.

"We shall meet again soon, beautiful woman" He said before running to catch up with the others.

"I'd like to say he isn't always like this but…" Korra trailed off

"It's fine" Asami laughed it off "He's been doing that for a while" Korra looked at her curiously "I would come to the island and play with them while you were unconscious" she explained, looking a little uncomfortable.

"Oh" Was Korra's only response, she was starting to become more than a little frustrated with her lack of memory. "Well, Ikki and I will take you to your room then"

They resumed their walk in an awkward silence, only ever broken by Ikki's somewhat subdued commentary. Korra noted that Asami looked sad, looking down as if deep in thought. She berated herself for momentarily forgetting everything that had happened to her over the last few days.

Korra made no move to start a conversation as they reached the doors of the woman's dormitory, their footsteps echoing through the quiet corridor. Korra remembered only a few hours ago when Pema had tried to made Asami's bed in her new room and Tenzin had started yelling about straining herself while she was pregnant. As they walked into the room Korra noted the bed was made perfectly- Pema had obviously won that fight.

"Asami, did you know Korra likes Mako?"

Korra froze.

Time seemed to slow down.

She could feel anger at the small child welling up deep inside her, warming her core.

What possessed her to say something like that?!

Even if she did like him…she shouldn't have mentioned it in front of his _girlfriend_! Never mind that she was in an emotionally vulnerable state right now.

What was she thinking…of course she didn't like Mako. Ikki's imagination just kept running away with her.

But, this was the second time she had heard her say that.

That didn't make it true though.

What compelled her to say that?

Asami's eyes seemed to become sadder as she heard the little ones words. "Oh" was all she said as she resumed staring at the ground.

Korra almost sighed in relief, Asami obviously knew Ikki meant nothing by it. Korra grabbed Asamis arm and slid open the door, slamming it in the young girls face.

"Hey!" came a muffled voice.

"Umm, this is your room" Korra stated the obvious, looking uncomfortable with what just happened.

Asami was silent for a few seconds.

"It's true isn't it" she whispered, a lone tear running down her cheek.

"What?" Asked Korra confused, also alarmed as to why the girl was crying.

"It's true…you do like him…" She didn't ask her this time, she stated it as though it was the plainest fact in the world.

"No…I…uhh…" Korra couldn't come up with an appropriate response, afraid anything she said would break the beautiful woman

"It's ok Korra" she was still whispering "I know"

'_How does she know something I don't?'_

"The way you look at him…the way you acted around him before the accident…"

"Asami, I swear if I did anything that made you think that…I didn't mean it. I don't even remember most of the time I spent with him!"

"I'm not angry Korra" She said, her voice becoming slightly stronger "I've seen the way he looks at you too"

"The way he looks at me?" Korra asked blankly

Asami nodded, "He didn't leave your room after the accident, and when he thought you were in danger at my house he didn't even hesitate before running down there"

"We're just friends" She argued weakly, but Asami had a knowing look on her face

"Trust me Korra" She said, walking toward the door of her bedroom. Korra took this as her leave and slid the door open. "You're the one who makes him happy" she whispered finally before sliding the door shut before Korra.

Korra was left in the silent hallway to ponder Asami's words and her own feelings. She started walking without knowing where she was going. She only snapped out of her thoughts when she found herself near the edge of the island, overlooking the bay.

She continued to a large tree nearby and sat under its large, comforting branches. She closed her eyes, trying to clear her muddled head.

An image.

A feeling.

Her eyes snapped open as she tried to assess what had just happened. She had just seen Mako and Asami in each other's arms, kissing.

She had felt a sharp pang of jealousy with the image.

What that a memory?

The same thing happened to her when she remembered Tahno…

That had to be a memory.

Had she been jealous of Mako and Asami before the accident?

Did that mean she liked him?

She let out a deep sigh; this was all too much to take in. She scrunched her eyes up tight and tried to concentrate on the sound of the waves crashing against the shore.

The sound soothed her; she was in her natural element here.

She felt the push and pull of the water and it helped to distract her from her thoughts. She somehow found herself in the lotus position and was surprised that she was actually enjoying meditating

Too many surprises in one day…

**A/N Can any of you fantastic readers draw? I'm looking for someone to make a cover image for this story and one of my others, Pandalily. Send a review or PM my way if you want to help out, thanks!**


	12. Chapter 12

Guilt.

He couldn't escape it.

It was like a rope that tightened around him with every breath he took.

The guilt of staying with Asami when he didn't love her.

The guilt of pushing Korra away.

The guilt of not telling her about the kiss.

The guilt of letting her fall.

He didn't speak much as Korra and the Airbending children led Asami around the island. Each step it took brought with it an even larger pang of guilt. When Bolin left with Jinora he followed; hoping no-one would miss him.

He passed the building they walked into. He kept walking and walking, thinking about the mess he had gotten himself into.

Asami thought he loved her.

Korra didn't know he loved her.

He couldn't break up with Asami; he needed her.

He couldn't act on his feelings for Korra because he was with Asami. Even if he wasn't she might think he was lying to her about the kiss.

He let out a groan and fell down against a rock, adjusting his red scarf as he did so. He buried his head in his hands, willing the solution to all his problems to magically appear.

Instead of a solution, Korra appeared. He was sitting much higher than she was, so he could watch her without being seen.

She crossed her legs and seemed to be meditating. Just the sight seemed to relax him.

He was mesmerised by her beauty. Asami achieved beauty by applying layers of makeup to her face and by spending hours maintaining her hair, but Korra had natural beauty.

The way her hair fluttered slightly in the wind, and the way her eyebrow creased slightly when she was deep in thought.

The crease deepened and Mako frowned. He didn't like seeing her uncomfortable like this. A tortured expression flashed across her face and she looked like she was in pain.

He jumped to his feet and started running down toward her. He barely noticed the hard waves crashing on the shore, soaking her clothes, nor did he notice Tenzin.

He was about halfway there when she opened her mouth and her scream pierced the air.

_Her eyes widened…_

_She let out a terrified scream…._

_And then she fell…_

Her scream rooted him to the spot. He was unable to move, images of her falling flashing under his eyelids.

He needed to move.

He had to get to her.

Why couldn't he move?

A small part of his brain registered the fact that she wasn't screaming. It took quite a few seconds for his body to respond to this but eventually his head raised and he saw Tenzin with his arms around her.

He willed his body to move, to get closer to her and hear what happened to cause her chilling scream.

He moved silently, not wanting to alert her to his presence. He had no idea how he had gotten his body to snap out of the shock, but somehow he found himself close enough to listen.

Memories…

Were they causing her such pain?

She said she saw images…and heard sounds… It sounded like she was having nightmares in waking. His thoughts turned to the nightmares he had been experiencing about that night. Maybe hers were the same?

But…if he told her about the nightmares she would know how deeply her accident affected him…she would know how much she meant to her…

He made a mental note to see if he could get Bolin to ask for him, she and Bolin were closer now than he and Korra ever were.

As he did this he saw Tenzin help Korra up, and just as they turned in his direction he silently slipped behind a tree. He cursed himself for the bright colour of his scarf, but he knew he wouldn't stop wearing it.

When Korra and Tenzin returned to one of the building he felt safe enough to leave.

"Ooooh, what were you doing watching Korraaaa?" A sudden voice asked, elongating the start and end of her sentence.

He whipped around was not surprised to see that it was Ikki. He cursed Avatar Aang for repopulating the Airbenders; it was just too easy for them to sneak up on people.

"I was just going for a walk" He lied easily, watching her giggle

"No you weren't silly, you were watching her. You loooooove her don't you?"

He sighed. "Haven't we already had this discussion?"

She nodded vigorously, looking as though she had consumed too much sugar "Yup!" She exclaimed "But last time you said you didn't love her because of Asami!"

"That's my reason now too" He said, trying to find a way around the small girl

"But even 'Sami knows you love her!" She replied, using a pet name for the older girl

Mako's blood ran colder. "…what?" He asked weakly, hoping he had misheard

"Korra wouldn't let me into her room but I stayed and listened at the door. She knows you love her, but then she got sad" She said with a frown "You should go cheer her up!" She added as an afterthought. "New toys always cheer me up! Daddy doesn't like us to have too many things but sometimes 'Nora lets me play with her things and sometimes Mummy buys me treats and they cheer me up too and-"

"I have to go" He cut her off, deciding the best way to get past was to just walk away

She pouted "But I didn't get to finish my story!" She wailed

"Another time Ikki" He said walking away, raising an arm in farewell. He actually hoped he wouldn't have to hear her finish that story.

He felt guilty at leaving Ikki, but he was so use to the guilt now.

He thought about her words to distract him, apparently Asami knew about his feelings. But, maybe it was just the little girl's overactive imagination. He had witnessed that imagination enough times to last several of the Avatars' reincarnations' lives.

There was only one way he was going to find out if she was telling the truth. He was going to have to go in there and face her.

He took a deep breath and headed toward her room.

...

"Oomp"

He looked up, startled, as a sudden impact broke him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see his brother looking at him concerned

"You ok bro?"

"I'm fine Bo, just a little bump"

The Earthbender frowned at this "You know what I'm talking about. Ever since you got back from that raid on the Sato mansion you haven't been your usual self, you've been acting different"

Mako raised an eyebrow; he didn't think he had been that obvious.

"Different how?"

Bolin fidgeted nervously "You've barely said a word to anyone- not even Asami. I don't remember the last time I saw you smile or bend…" Mako felt even more guilt as he saw how worried he had made his only brother.

Bolin exhaled, as if to drop his current line of thought and started his sentence again. "Is this because of Korra?"

When did Bolin get so perceptive?

He couldn't lie to his brother about this, not when he'd come right out and asked directly. He didn't think he could hold all of this in on his won for any longer either.

Mako gestured to one of the empty rooms close by them. "Can we go in here and talk?"

Bolin nodded and obliged, shutting the door securely behind them as Mako lit some of the candles in the room with his Firebending. Bolin looked visibly relieved at this; as though he had worried his brother had lost his ability to manipulate fire.

Mako thought about the Earthbending book Bolin had lent Jinora. Bolin had gotten it when he started throwing himself into his bending practise after their parent died. In it, it spoke about someone losing their bending after being through a traumatic experience.

Mako was glad he didn't remember that book while Korra was unconscious.

"So…" Bolin trailed off, pointedly looking at Mako to start explaining what had been going on.

"Where do I even start?" He asked himself as he sat down on one of the beds, Bolin doing the same.

"Right at the beginning"

Mako took a deep breath and started to explain everything. One of the first things he'd brought up was the kiss. He was afraid Bolin would take it the wrong way or be offended but he seemed to take it just fine.

He seemed to take everything just fine.

He listened intently; eyes widening at the appropriate moments and softening in sympathy.

Mako was glad he decided to tell Bolin. With each word that came out of his mouth the burden of guilt got slightly smaller. It was still there of course; and no amount of talking would get rid of it, but it began to feel slightly bearable.

When he finished he sat in silence, waiting for his younger brother to say something. Bolin didn't seem to be able to decide what to say first; his mouth open and closed a few times as if he was rethinking his sentences.

"Wow" Was what he eventually decided on, speaking softly.

"I don't know what to do Bo" He said, staring imploringly into his brothers green eyes.

"Well, you have to talk to Asami bro" Bolin told him, a serious look in his eyes. Although Bolin didn't look visibly upset when he retold the incident regarding the kiss, Mako could tell it still hurt. Bolin didn't want Asami to go through the same thing.

"I was just on my way to talk to her" He reminded him. Bolin jumped up and Mako jumped slightly, startled at the sudden outburst.

"I forgot! You have to go there now!" He practically screamed and started to push Mako toward the door

"Wait" He struggled against the Earthbenders' firm grip "Will you ask Korra about the nightmares?"

"Uh-huh" Was the only reply he got "Now go go go go!"

"I'm going!" Reassured Mako, now sure it was because of his kiss with Korra that his brother was acting like this.

"Wish me luck" Mako grimaced as he walked out the door.


End file.
